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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Aircraft More Aircraft Initials T to Z  Ventura |
[UP] - Ta152 - Tempest - Tigercat - Tomahawk - Twin Mustang - Typhoon - Val - Vega - Veltro - Ventura - Vindicator - Waco - Warhawk - Wellington - Whirlwind - Whitley - Wildcat - Yak-3 - Zero |
| Ventura Aviation Prints |
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| Text for the above items : |
The War Up North by Stan Stokes. The fighting in the Aleutian Island chain has largely been neglected by many WW II historians, as has the role of the Lockheed Ventura. The Ventura was a high performance aircraft and not that easy to learn to fly. Like the B-26 Marauder the Ventura earned a poor reputation from pilots and crews during training, but eventually became an unqualified success in the field. Despite an uncertain debut for this aircraft, during the last two and a half years of the War Venturas played a major role in the Pacific War. The Ventura was a follow-on to the successful Lockheed Hudson that had been purchased by the RAF. Whereas the Hudson was a militarized version of the Model 14 the Ventura was a militarized version of the Model 18 Lodestar. The Ventura utilized powerful 2000-HP Double Wasp radials and the designers utilized a paddle-style propeller. The paddle props coupled with the closeness of the engine nacelles to the fuselage gave the Ventura a distinctive sound. The Ventura was well armed and could carry a decent bomb load, and was fast enough to avoid many encounters with opposing fighters. The Ventura entered combat with the RAF in December of 1942. Despite the 300-MPH plus speed of the Ventura, the RAF became disenchanted with the Ventura as a low altitude attack bomber, and the USAAF stepped in to pick up the RAF production. The USAAF designated some early Venturas as B-34s and some later variants as B-37s. The US Navy negotiated an agreement with the USAAF to acquire some Venturas as a compliment to its force of PBY Catalina amphibians. The Catalinas were slow and vulnerable to attack, and the Navy felt that a fast land-based reconnaissance and patrol plane would be helpful. The Ventura also had enough offensive firepower to be utilized in the pinch as an attack bomber on enemy supply depots. The Navy adopted the PV designation for the aircraft (P for patrol and V for Vega - the division of Lockheed that produced the aircraft.) Some 1600 PV-1s were produced for the Navy between 1942 and May of 1944. The Navy added fuel capacity - giving the PV-1 a combat radius of 1600 miles. They also modified the nose of the aircraft. The bomb capacity was 3000 pounds and it was possible to carry a single torpedo in the bomb bay. The first Navy deployment of the Ventura was to the Aleutians in April 1943 (VB-135 and VB-136.) These squadrons perfected radar-bombing missions and on two other occasions attacking forces of Japanese Betty Bombers were turned back by Navy Venturas. The wicked flying weather in the Aleutians took as great a toll on our forces as did the enemy. Stan Stokes painting is intended as a tribute to those that fought in the War Up North. |
| Ventura Pilot and aircrew signature details |
Arthur Dunlop Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Arthur Dunlop Flight Lieutenant A.C. Dunlop R.A.F.V.R (Navigator) joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in November 1940 and trained in Canada. On return to the UK he crewed up with Max Sparks in July 1942 with whom he undertook 35 operations. Posted to 487 R.N.Z A.F Squadron, they first flew Lockheed Venturas (modified airliners) against targets such as dockyards (e.g. Rotterdam), airfields and marshalling yards in occupied Europe. Fortunately, after escalating losses, the Squadron was re-equipped with De Havilland Mosquito Mk VIs in August 1943 and low-level operations against pinpoint targets such as VI and V2 rocket sites were undertaken, together with night intruder sorties. It was in February 1944 that 487 Squadron was selected to lead the low level raid on Amiens Prison whereby breaching the walls enabled 285 French patriots to escape execution by the Germans, where his Mosquito HX982 EG-T was damaged by flak and suffered an undercarriage failure on its return to base. He and his pilot were ok. In July 1944 Flt.Lt. A.C Dunlop left '487' when he was posted to India as an instructor. On his return to the U.K. he was posted to Bomber Command 105 and 139 (Jamaica) Squadrons and demobilised in April 1946. |
Flight Lieutenant Maxwell N. Sparks A.F.C., R.A.F. Our estimated value of this signature : £35 | Flight Lieutenant Maxwell N. Sparks A.F.C., R.A.F. Flight Lieutenant M.N. Sparks A.F.C., R.A.F., gained his pilots wings with the R.N.Z.A.F. in December 1941. Posted to the United Kingdom he joined the newly formed 487(N.Z.) Squadron in September 1942. Equipped with the Lockheed Ventura (a bomber version of the Hudson) the squadron was meant for medium-level daylight 'circus' operations, but after losing 10 out of 11 aircraft and crews over Holland in March 1943 it was wisely decided to re-equip the depleted squadron with a different type of aircraft. In September 1943 the Squadron was again operational with the new Mosquito Mk.V1 aircraft, attacking daylight pinpoint targets such as V1 and V2 rocket sites and night intruder sorties against enemy airfields. From D-Day on, 487 sqn. in company with 464 (R.A.A.F.) and 21 (R.A.F.) was part of the 2nd T.A.F., operating behind enemy lines day and night, searching out enemy road convoys, railway troop trains, enemy airfields, etc. – all designed to cause maximum disruption to the enemy forces. Flt. Lt. Max Sparks completed 42 operational sorties with 487 squadron and returned to New Zealand in March 1945. |
 Group Captain Leonard Trent VC DFC ADC Our estimated value of this signature : £85 | Group Captain Leonard Trent VC DFC ADC Leonard Trent was in the war from the start, and at a time when aircrew losses were appalling. In May 1943, before Trent took off for the Amsterdam power station raid, he said - Im going over the target whatever happens - Of the twelve Ventura aircraft that set out against murderous fighter attacks and heavy flak, only Trent made it to the target - he was as good as his word. Trent was shot down on the return home, but his VC ranks amongst the most courageous of all. |
 Hon Gough Whitlam AC QC Our estimated value of this signature : £30 | Hon Gough Whitlam AC QC Gough Whitlam enlisted in the RAAF on 20th June 1942. After training as a navigator bomb aimer, Pilot Officer Whitlam joined 13 Sqn when they re-equipped with the Navy Ventura (PV1) at Fairbairn airport, Canberra in September 1943. In February 1944 the squadron moved to Coffs Harbour, fromwhich it searched for Japanese submarines and escorted Allied ships. Based at Cooktown Mission from June to August 1944 and then at Gove, Northern Territory, it bomber Japanese held islands in the Arafura Sea and as far as Lombok. The squadron was last based in Labuan. From March to September 1945 Goughs Ventura was the only Empire aircraft at MacArthurs headquarters in Leyte and Manila. They transported British, Canadian, New Zealand and Australian Admirals, Generals and Air Marshals from and back to Morotai. Whitlams crew flew 750 hours on Venturas. He was discharged on 17th October 1945. Edward Gough Whitlam was born in Melbourne on 11th July 1916 and joined the Australian Labor Party in 1945. He won the Federal seat or Werriwa at a by-election in November 1952 and was deputy leader of his party from February 1960 to February 1967 and thereafter leader until December 1977. Gough Whitlam was Prime Minister of Australia from 5th December 1972 to 11th November 1975. He resigned from Parliament in July 1978 to pursue an academic career. |
| Ventura Squadron details |
No.140 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 10th November 1945 Known Codes : , ZW, | No.140 Sqn RAF Photo Reconnaissance Foresight |
No.21 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 31st January 1976 Known Codes : , YH, JP, UP, | No.21 Sqn RAF Viribus vincimus - By strength we conquer |
No.299 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 15th February 1946 Known Codes : , 5G, X9, | No.299 Sqn RAF |
No.458 Sqn RAAF Country : Australia Disbanded 9th June 1945 Known Codes : , BP, FU, MD, | No.458 Sqn RAAF |
No.464 Sqn RAAF Country : UK Disbanded 25th September 1945 Known Codes : , SB, | No.464 Sqn RAAF Aequo anumo - Equanimity |
No.487 Sqn RNZAF Country : New Zealand Disbanded 19th September 1945 Known Codes : , EG, | No.487 Sqn RNZAF Ki te mutunga - Through to the end 487 squadron was formed at Feltwell, Norfolk, 15th August 1942, equipped with Lockheed Ventura aircraft, commencing operations on 6th December. 487 contributed 16 aircraft to the famous low-level raid on the Phillips radio and valve factory at Eindhoven, and continued in the daylight role with Venturas until June 1943. On one operation during this period, the squadron suffered heavy losses. On May 3rd during a raid on Amsterdam, ten out of 11 aircraft were shot down. After the war when the full account of the raid became known, the B Flight Commander Sqd Ldr L.H. Trent, a New Zealander in the RAF, who had been a prisoner of war since being shot down on the raid was awarded the Victoria Cross for his outstanding leadership during the Amsterdam raid. On 1st June 1943, 487 was transferred from Bomber Command to the newly formed 2nd Tactical Air Force (TAF). During September 1943, 487 re-equipped with the De Havilland Mosquito F.B VI and was mainly used on night bombing, although the squadron took part in several daylight precision operations. These included the Amiens prison raid 18th February 1944, Gestapo Headquarters, Aarhus in Denmark on 31st October 1944 and Gestapo Headquarters in Copenhagen on 21st March 1945. The squadron operated from the continent from February until September 1945 where at Cambrai/Epinoy, France it was renumbered 16 Squadron RAF (later amended to 268 Squadron). In addition to Sqd Ldr Trent's Victoria Cross, the New Zealand personnel of 487 squadron were awarded 1 DSO, 7 DFC's, one bar to DFC and 1 DFM. |
No.519 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 31st May 1946 Known Codes : , Z9, | No.519 Sqn RAF Undaunted by weather |
No.521 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 1st April 1946 Known Codes : , 5O, TE, | No.521 Sqn RAF 521 Squadron was formed on the 1st August 1941 from No 1401 Flight at Bircham Newton, it continued to conduct meteorological reconnaissance duties. 521 Squadron flew Hudsons and Blenheims for North Sea patrol duties, Spitfires and Mosquitoes over Europe. It was disbanded when it was divided into Flights again, No's 1401 and 1409. But on the 1st September 1943 it was reformed in its previous role at Docking. 521 Squadron was re equipped with Hampdens, Hudsons and Gladiators, with Venturas arriving in December 1943. In August 1944 Hurricanes joined the Gladiators and Hudsons returned to replace the Venturas in September 1944. In December 1944 Flying Fortress IIs arrived for long range sorties and these were operated together with Mk IIIs from May 1945 until February 1946. Halifax Mk.III bombers replaced the Flying Fortresses in December 1945 and following the withdrawal of the Fortresses, 521 Squadorn was disbanded on 1st April 1946 at Chivenor. |
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